Frozen In Time
by ItzRayz
Summary: -NarutoBleach Xover- He was hidden away in a dungeon, forgotten by time itself. They took away his freedom and he willingly accepted his fate. But he knew one thing that they didn't... You can’t take away a man’s goal...
1. Unfrozen Once More

Here it is folks! The long awaited story, _Frozen in Time._

Just wanted to thank Wilson for sticking with me. It was a long journey for me to finish this chapter lol.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Naruto. What I do own is this laptop and Microsoft Word.**

* * *

_Fifteen years ago, Konohagakue no Sato_

"_Where did tat demon go?" A drunken voice slurred out. _

"_He went tat way!" Another drunken voice shouted out. "Afta him!"_

_A boy, who looked no older than five years old, ran as fast as his little legs could go. Despite his age, he was able to outrun grown men but everyone has their limits, including him._

_Spotting a dark alleyway, he ran inside and hid behind a dumpster. He silently prayed that those drunken men would not think of looking for him here._

_Naruto trembled as he peeked out from behind the dumpster, fear taking over his body. "Why, why does everyone hate me?" He asked himself in a timid voice. "I didn't do anything to them…"_

_Not noticing that he was leaning backwards, he knocked over a nearby trashcan. _

_His eyes widened as he watched it happen in slow motion. The metal trashcan slowly fell to the ground, the contents inside it spilling out and caused a loud disturbance._

"_What was that?" _

"_There! He's hiding in that alleyway!"_

"_He's trapped like a rat!"_

_Naruto heard their footsteps coming closer and closer and he turned around, his eyes searching for a way out. _

_He couldn't find a way out but instead, he found a strange object hiding in the trashcan._

"_Well, well. You thought you can fool us huh?" An overly large man asked, liquor clearly present in his breath. _

"_You won't get away from us so stop running. It'll be a lot less painful for you." Another man said, laughing. _

_Now, at his age, Naruto couldn't understand why they would come after him every night but either way, they did. _

"_St-stay back!" He shouted. "Do-don't ma-make me-me hu-hurt you!"_

_The group of men laughed, "Go ahead demon. I'll even let you throw one punch before we beat your ass."_

_Finding anything that he could pick up, Naruto's hands found themselves on that strange object and hesitantly picked it up. His eyes widened when he realized that it was a Katana…_

_A strange one too…_

_He slowly pulled the blade out of its scabbard and waved it weakly in front of the men, "St-stay back, I have a sword."_

"_You think you a real man now, holding that weapon?" A man asked, "Well, you aint ever gonna be a man! Yous just a demon!"_

_Naruto backed away and tightly closed his eyes, his small fingers tightly gripping the hilt of the blade. He was too afraid to use the weapon to defend himself and that was when it happened._

_A bright light exploded from nowhere and surrounded the area, causing everyone to shield their eyes from the light._

"_**BOY!" A loud voice roared. "Open your eyes."**_

_The loud voice commanded him to open his eyes and he willingly obeyed. What he saw in front of him caused him to quiver with fear. A beast straight from the myths was standing in front of him._

_A winged Dragon…_

"_**What are you afraid of boy?"**_

_Unable to answer, Naruto stared in awed as he took a small step back._

_The beast came closer, waiting for an answer. __**"Tell me boy, what are you waiting for?"**_

"…_you…" Naruto answered in a small voice. _

_The mighty dragon roared and flapped its wings around, causing the small specks of ice to fly everywhere._

"**Search for me boy. Search for me and when you finally do find me, roar out the name …"**

_Everything after that was a blur as the light became brighter and brighter, causing Naruto to look away and shut his eyes._

_When Naruto opened his eyes, he felt a strange power in his body, something that he never felt before. _

_The men saw the light dying down and saw that this was their chance to strike but that was a grave mistake. Not even registering the fact that Naruto wasn't there anymore, the men slowly fell to the ground, beats of their heart beating for the final time._

_Several ANBUs who was watching the event leaped from the roof and landed on the ground, slowly surrounding the child. "Drop the weapon and please follow us to the Hokage." The man in a weasel mask said. "Resist and we will be forced to restrain you."_

_But Naruto wasn't listening; he quietly tilted the sword forward, daring them to come get him._

"_No… I have something to do…" _

"_Men get him!" Weasel shouted but the order itself was suicidal. _

_ANBU, a rank given to ninjas who had attained the skills worthy was considered to be the best but sadly, the best wasn't good enough on this night._

_On this night, one boy single-handedly slaughtered thirteen ANBUS, forever marking this day as the Bloody Night. _

_Present day, Konoha Dungeon_

This place, this strange foreign place was giving him the willies. Jiraiya could feel the hair on his back standing up. It was so dark that not even the sun could penetrate its darkness. Their only source of light was from a single candle and even that was being swallowed up by the night.

As he calmly walked behind Tsunade, he was cautiously watching his back, almost if there was something hiding there, waiting for him to drop his guard.

It was aside from the fact that this prison was three kilometers outside and away from the village, aside from the fact that it was holding some of the most dangerous criminals from Konoha, and aside from the fact that they entered through an ultra secret door that not even the guards knew about, freaked him out.

He didn't even know this place had an underground chamber, let alone a staircase that was endless. He was sure that they had been walking for over twenty minutes now and when he looked up, he estimated that they were several hundred feet underground.

This was definitely not a good sign.

Jiraiya turned his attention back to his teammate, watching her carefully stroll down these stairs with a candle in hand.

"So where are we going?"

"To his cell." She calmly replied.

Much to Jiraiya's disappointment, that wasn't the answer he was looking for. He wanted a more detailed answer but he held his tongue back. Even though he was left in the dark again, incurring Tsunade's wrath right now was not the best of times.

But Jiraiya wasn't a person who would give up so easily. The word wasn't included in his dictionary.

"Whose cell is it?"

Tsunade sighed, knowing that her teammate could only be kept out on the dark for so long. It just amazed her that he went this long without asking her for more information.

"As you probably know, we're several hundred feet below ground."

"Yes. I know that but whose cell is it?"

"Well the reason for that is because we're going to seek out his help."

"His help? Just who the hell is he?" Jiraiya asked, irritation clearly present in his voice.

"He was someone that Sarutobi sensei locked away decades ago. I can't remember how long but it was for a really long time. According to sensei, he was left with no other choice but to lock the person down here. He said that his power was so strong that it became a danger to himself and to everyone around him."

Jiraiya frowned, not liking where this explanation was going. "Then how come I've never heard anything about this before?"

Tsunade rubbed her head nervously, "Ah that was probably my fault. I totally forgotten about him when I became Hokage and with everything going on, it was a miracle that I found sensei's report about him."

"I still don't know about this Tsunade…" Jiraiya argued. "He could do us more harm than good. Are you sure you can trust a man that our sensei personally locked away? I know I wouldn't."

"We don't have a choice right now Jiraiya! The Sound is already in the village, decimating and destroying everything as we speak. We're taking a huge gamble by coming here. Do you seriously want me to turn back right now without him? Do you want all their sacrifices to be in vain?"

"Do not give me that bullshit Tsunade! If you told me about your plan earlier, I could have done something to help but you decided that you wanted to do this alone." Jiraiya harshly answered, probably a bit harsher than he originally intended.

The tired Hokage couldn't handle this stress anymore and collapsed on the stairs, tears falling to the ground. "Help me… Jiraiya… Please… help me…"

There, she had finally said it. All her problems, all her stress, all her worries...

The Toad Sannin sighed as he crouched down next to her. He flashed her one of his great smiles before pulling her into a one arm embrace. "Everything will be okay Tsu-hime. I promise."

"How can you say that? Our forces have been greatly weakened. Our top fighters, Neji, Hinata and Shino were wounded in battle against Kisame and Hidan while Lee, Gai and Kakashi were left in critical condition by Madara and Pein. How can you calmly tell me that everything is going to be okay?" Tsunade cried out, tears coming out faster. She squirmed in Jiraiya's arm, trying to pull away but he wouldn't let go.

Even with just one arm, he was going to protect her from all of this. Everyone saw her as a figure of hope, a mighty tree that stood firmly against all odds but even the greatest of trees will collapse under pressure if it was not taken care of properly.

He wanted to do something for her, regardless of the injuries he had withstood; he was going to do something for her. Even if he was useless on the battlefield, he was going to be there for her, supporting and protecting her all the way.

As he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, his thoughts were on the battle on the surface. It was at the crack of dawn that the Sound forcefully invaded the village. Summons came slithering upwards from the ground, catching everyone by surprise.

The emergency alarm rang but it was too late. Their forces were weakened and with seventy percent of their jounin unable to battle, this was a one sided match. The Sound somehow knew that they were weakened from their assault on Akatsuki and used that very moment to strike.

"Damn that Orochimaru…" Jiraiya cursed. Sensei was a fool for not killing the bastard that night and he was a bigger fool for even trying to bring him back. He should have killed him when he had a chance as well…

Tsunade continued to cry, crying for the first time since her lover and little brother passed away. As she held on to Jiraiya tightly, she could feel his presence calming her down, little by little and it was then that she knew, he was always going to be there for her…

She needed to stand strong, her ninjas needed her to stand strong and most importantly, the village need her to stand strong in their time of need.

As she slowly released her grip, she saw the gentle smile that Jiraiya was giving her and she blushed slightly.

"You okay now Tsu-hime?"

She only nodded, unable to find her voice. Jiraiya pulled her up easily and that surprised Tsunade, seeing as how he only had one arm left.

"Let's go. We can't let Orochimaru and Sasuke destroy this village. We will show them that the Will of Fire still burns even after this event."

After Jiraiya's words of encouragement, Tsunade found the strength to believe in herself once more… to be able to stand up and continue the journey.

She continued to guide him down, assuring him that it was only going to be a few more steps. A new determined look replaced that fake mask of determination but that wasn't the thing that worried Jiraiya at the moment.

It was those seals along the wall. From the time they began their journey, there were only a few seals along the wall but as they went down, they began to increase. Being the seal expert that he was, seeing protection seals along with suppression seals was not exactly comforting.

Whatever was down here, it could not be good…

Another thing that he noticed was that the temperature was dropping. It was actually getting colder as they went further down. This wasn't natural. It was suppose to get warmer as they got deeper into the earth, not colder.

That was the second sign that told him that whatever was down there wasn't exactly the friendliest thing on earth.

"Say Tsunade… What does the council think about this?" Jiraiya asked. As much as he loathed those fools, they were pretty useful when the shit hit the fan. They might be old and senile but if it was one thing that they excel at, it was at information and tactics. "Do they trust this man that you're about to make an offer to?"

Tsunade shrugged her shoulders, "All of them were clueless, not really sure if they knew what I was talking about but when everyone left the room, Koharu, Homura and Danzo stayed behind."

"Did they tell you that it was a suicidal plan to begin with?"

"No, in fact, those three were kind of scared shitless. You could kind of see Koharu shaking when I told them that I was going down here."

"Great…" Jiraiya said, muttering to himself. If those three were scared of this one guy, this was definitely a bad sign. Usually Danzo was power hungry; doing everything he could to ensure the stability and survival of this village but if even the likes of him was too scared of this guy, then whoever he was… must be that strong… or dangerous.

"But that doesn't matter," Tsunade continued, "We need his power right now."

"His power is nothing if you can't control him Tsu-hime. You know that." Jiraiya pointed out. "I hope you have it under control…"

"Me too Jiraiya… Me too…"

_Inside Konoha_

While the Hokage and Jiraiya of the Sannin were off on their quest, the mighty village of Konohagakue turned into an all out battlefield. The scent of blood could be picked up from miles away. The surprise attack by the Sound caught the entire village off guard and the casualties were increasing with every second.

The Konoha ninjas were bruised and exhausted but they were determined to continue fighting or die trying. This was their village, their heart and soul went into this and they weren't about to let some outsider burn it to the ground.

"Look out Konohamaru!" Chouji shouted.

Konohamaru, now a fast growing Jounin and heir to the Sarutobi Clan, quickly turned around, witnessing several Sound Ninjas coming towards him with swords. He skillfully sidestepped them all, swinging his Bo-Staff around. As he passed through them safely, he cocked his head to one side and smirked, "Better luck next time Sound… oh wait. There is no next time."

Just when he slammed his staff into the ground, the ninjas who attacked him earlier dropped dead to the floor. Konohamaru then leaped back, now back to back with Chouji with their weapons raised as the circle of sound Nins became larger.

"Can we pull that attack off once more Chouji?"

The Akimichi heir panted slightly, feeling the fatigue hit his body, "No can do little buddy. I'm almost out of Chakra."

Konohamaru gritted his teeth, "Damn it to hell. Where the fuck can that old hag be?"

"Young Master, do not lose focus. Remember your training and we will get through this." Enma replied, communicating his thoughts directly to his master.

"I hate to burst your bubble Enma but it looks like I won't see Aunt Kurenai for dinner tonight." Konohamaru chuckled, "If you see her, tell her I'm sorry."

Raising his weapon over his head, he forcefully pushed back the Sound, prepared to engage them in the fifth round of combat.

Before either of them could do anything, a small hole in the circle opened and Juugo walked in, a small sadistic smile on his face. "Playtime's over boys…" He cracked his knuckles and charged forward, intending on beating them into the ground.

Chouji wanted to leap away but his legs wouldn't move. His eyes widened as the gigantic fist came down on his face but before it could connect, Konohamaru's staff intercepted the attack.

"Sorry but you're not going to hurt my buddy here." Konohamaru firmly said.

Juugo pulled his arm back and licked his lips, "Looks like I found me some good prey."

"Sakura!" Ino shouted, "I need some help over here."

"INO IM BUSY TOO DAMMIT!" Sakura cried out in frustration as she finished closing up this ninja's wound.

"Sakura!" Shizune yelled back, "I know you're tired but please, keep your cool. A medic who can't contain her emotions is useless here."

Ever since the attack, she had been here, using her skills as a first class medic to heal the wounded. She had lost count of how many wounds she had closed and how many people have died on the table today.

She held back her tears, scolding herself. This wasn't a time to cry. Mourning will come later but as for now, she had a duty to perform.

"CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A HAND HERE?" Ino shouted for the second time. This time, several medic nins that were on break quickly jumped onboard. She immediately told them the problem and they went to work.

Once Ino saw that they were continuing the process, she felt her legs gave out and she finally collapsed onto the floor. Eight hours straight she worked. Eight hours. There was barely any chakra left in her system and she needed a break.

A break from this tent and maybe all this fighting…

She sighed as she hoped that everyone was okay. The surprise caught her team off guard as they were the first ones to jump into the battle. They came back from a mission that morning and as tired as they were, each of them went to their battle positions.

Chouji to the battlefield, Shikamaru to the strategic and management tent and herself to the wounded.

As much as she wanted to join her friends in action, she couldn't. Her skills as the team medic were more valuable back here than it is over there.

"Stay safe guys…" She whispered.

Shizune, on the other hand, was busily working on people who were in critical conditions. Years of being Tsunade's apprentice gave her seniority over everyone and her skills weren't a slouch either.

Exhausted as she was, she wasn't going to quit yet. She heard the stories from their mouths, the horrors of the battlefield and it was enough to keep her going. Shizune looked over her shoulders, seeing most of the medics slowly unable to function. She couldn't blame them. It was war and it was tiring.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, she clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Those who are able to work please continue. Those who need to rest, take a rest but please remember, we need everyone to pull through this dark time. May Kami protect these soldiers and their families."

"What the hell is up with this bitch?" Kiba roared, "Why can't she just stay fucking still?"

Karin giggled as she easily dodged another Gatsuuga. "Come on big boy. Why don't you show me how to really ride that thing?"

"Karin, stop messing around and kill him already." Suigetsu ordered. He flipped over Tenten, narrowly avoiding her sword and held the Kubikiri Houcho firmly in his hands.

"DIE BITCH!" He screamed as he ran towards Tenten but the weapon mistress smirked as she threw her scroll into the air.

Kiba saw what she was doing and his eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"Sorry but today's the day where you meet your end! **Sougu Tensasai**!" Tenten yelled.

Before Suigetsu knew what happened, it started raining weapons. No, it poured weapons down from the sky. He raised his weapon over head to shield himself but it wasn't possible. He grunted as a kunai fell to the ground, barely missing his nose.

"Holy crap!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru yelped in surprise as he pulled his master to safety.

Karin jumped away too, not wanting to get impaled by those weapons. She looked back and saw that her partner was stuck in the middle of the assault.

Tenten waved her arms around slowly, almost as if she was dancing on air. With each movement, her scroll was slowly circling around her opponent, raining down weapons of destruction.

As of now, no one had lived through this attack and talked about it. The only person that could probably do it was Neji but that was a different story. When the dust cleared, she panted slowly but a grin on her face. Her opponent couldn't have survived, it was impossible.

Her eyes widened when Suigetsu stood there, with the huge sword hanging loosely on his shoulder. "What…?"

The Sound Nin smirked, "You can't kill something that you can't pierce. My turn now bitch."

In a split second, Suigetsu disappeared from his spot and reppeared in front of Tenten, giving her a clean cut across her stomach. Blood gushed out as Tenten fell to the ground, rolling away from the attack. She managed at the last second to push her body away but it wasn't enough.

"Tenten!"

Within moments, Kiba abandoned his opponent and appeared by her side, holding her head up. "Tenten! Stay with me now. Come on girl! Fucking stay with me!"

"Ki… Kiba…" She replied, blood coming out from the side of her mouth.

"Hold on! I will save you. I swear." Kiba replied, panic clearly present in his voice.

"Uh-uh. I don't think so dog-boy." Karin sweetly replied, "But you were right girlie. Today will be the day you meet your end."

High above the buildings stood Orochimaru, the last member of the Sannin. His pale white skin and serpent slit pupils watched the mass destruction erupt throughout Konoha. It felt good to be back in this village, to see all the chaos and mayhem happening before him.

Riding on top of his summon, Manda, together they headed for the Hokage Tower. Underneath him, he heard the screams of ninjas as they met their death by the hands of his apprentice, Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke felt alive as he ran through the village, testing the sharpness of his blade on anyone and everyone that was in his way. Friend or foe alike, he was sharpening his skills. He had to be the best and once he found out where Itachi ran off to, he would go hunt him down.

The entire village was his playground and today, he was going to show them why they should fear the playground bully. While his mentor went one way, he went the other, heading straight for the medical area where most of the prey was probably hiding. There had to be someone in this pathetic village who can match him in skill.

Before he took another step, his senses were tingling like crazy and his body stopped. Standing before him was the Root Unit. Orochimaru told him about these guys. Just slightly above ANBU in skill but there was one difference. They only listen to Danzo.

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

Speak of the devil; there was the old coot now. Sasuke stabbed his sword into the ground and looked up. "What does a dead man want with me?"

Danzo narrowed his eyes, "Kill that traitor."

Just as their master spoke, his orders were absolute. Any less meant death.

Sasuke quickly picked up his sword and before anyone knew it, the Root Unit was dead without a second thought. "You're next Danzo." He pointed his sword at the warlord's direction but to his surprise, the man was already gone.

Sasuke shook his head, disappointed at the man's action. He should have known that Danzo was a coward, a rat who ran when the battle wasn't in his favor.

_Dungeon, inside cell number 327_

This was his cell. Door number 327…

There was no one down here but him and darkness. Not even the light was brave enough to come down here.

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"Am I not ready to hear your voice?"

His silent pleads remained unanswered.

"What must I do in order to make myself worthy enough to be in your presence?"

The man had been asking the same questions for years now and yet, it was always the same thing.

Silence.

He sat there, alone, with a light blue hilt, covered by a white sheath. It does not matter if his clothes were tattered or even if he had clothes on. He was alone in here and it had always been like that.

This man continued to meditate, waiting for the day that his questions were heard and he could continue his goal.

Yes… his goal. While the outside world may have forgotten about him, he had not forgotten about them. It doesn't matter if he was locked down here for ten or ten thousand years. He will complete his goal.

His strong hands slowly caressed the hilt of the blade, feeling the smooth bumps on it. Over the years, he had grown attached to this sword and the blade was like an extension of his body.

"Are you still judging my worth?"

"I'm not afraid anymore."

They thought he was crazy, speaking to the sword but he knew better. He knew that there was something there, waiting for his time to be released…

In his dreams, the blade took a physical form, the form of a winged dragon. Its scales were blue, covered in ice. As he took a look around, he was standing alone in this field of ice, just him and this mighty beast.

"Who are you?" I called out, a question that would remain unanswered for years.

The dragon lowered itself, as if it were measuring me. "**You still can't hear my name can you boy?**"

I can feel the ice around me,

I can hear the beast's voice echoing throughout the field…

Like it's crushing me, like it's swallowing me up.

I could sense the beast yearning to break free, but it couldn't.

It wouldn't.

Every time, it would ask me that same question, if I could hear his name and every time, I would respond no.

Just like the dream, it would never end. It was always the same one, that field of ice…

"Do you want me to know your name?"

"Then tell me your name…"

The man still recalled the first time the beast spoke to him outside of his dreams, his first and his last.

It was when he found this blade, in an alleyway and when his fingers gently touched the hilt, a strong connection was forged and the beast's voice roared loudly in his head.

The dragon spoke to him clearly that night, "**Search for me boy. Search for me and when you finally do find me, roar out the name …**"

But he never heard the end of that sentence. Powers exploded out from his body like water overflowing from a dam. He didn't know what this feeling was but it felt good.

It was also that same night that he was entrusted to keep this sword safe… until he was able to accomplish his goal…

"I will patiently wait for the day when I can finally hear your name."

Inside of this dark and cold room, where even the brightest of light will not dare to enter, there alone sat a man who goes by the name of Naruto.

_Dungeon Area_

Stopping just outside a large metallic door, Tsunade looked around, making sure that this was indeed the right one. In fact, this was the only door in sight. Door number 327…

Jiraiya walked up behind her and he found a lot of seals attached to the door and wall, even more than before. Whoever or whatever was in there… he couldn't even find the right words to describe his feelings right now.

Tsunade held the candle carefully to the documents in her hand, slowly reading the words on it. "According to these official documents, he's in here. He's been in here for the last fifteen years, isolated and imprisoned for his crimes…"

"Who's in here?" Jiraiya asked, his question that went unanswered before.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She replied as her eyes began scanning down the paper. "Charged with the crime of first degree murder and the manslaughter of thirteen ANBUs."

Jiraiya let out a low whistle as Tsunade read off the list. If he wasn't freaked out by this man, he would have been impressed. "So how old was he when he committed this crime?"

"Five."

"F-five?" The hermit stuttered out. "What, how?"

"It doesn't say. I guess sensei didn't feel the urge to put that part down."

The Hokage's eyes scanned over the documents a couple of times, making sure that she had her facts straight. When she felt that she was ready, she grabbed the handle to the door but before she could open it, Jiraiya put his hands over hers, stopping her from opening the door.

"Let me ask you one more time Tsunade. Are you sure that you are one hundred percent positive that you want to bargain with this man?"

She sighed and nodded her head. "I've made up my mind Jiraiya. This is the only way."

"Aside from the fact that this is highly unethical, the man might be mentally unstable." He pointed out.

"Let this be weighted on my conscience Jiraiya. Not yours."

Jiraiya then sighed but he smiled as well. "You don't have to do this alone you know."

Tsunade returned his smile with one of hers and together, they opened the locked door.

What they got when they opened the door was totally unexpected. They were expecting some old dusty air but what they got in return was a gust of cold frigid wind. The cold winds caused Tsunade to quickly hide behind the door, letting Jiraiya feel the full effects of the icy cold room.

When the winds finally passed and died down, they slowly entered the room, using the small candle to light up the torches inside the darken room. According to the unused torches on the wall, it was safe to assume that no one came into the room since the prisoner was imprisoned here.

As the room was finally lit, their expressions were filled with shock when they saw a man, sitting in the middle of the room with a sword laid before him… meditating.

Both sannins weren't expecting to see a young man sitting there peacefully. They were expecting to see a crazy lunatic that would run towards them the moment the door was opened.

Jiraiya himself was the most surprised. He was expecting some kind of attack, some sort of underhanded trick so the prisoner could escape but it never came.

They stood there, unsure of what to do. "Should we check if he's dead?" Jiraiya asked, whispering to Tsunade.

The Hokage shook her head and instantly saw a pulse from the man's body. "He's not dead." She whispered back. She slowly approached the man, making sure that her footsteps were loud and clear.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She spoke out, standing before him. "Do you know who I am?"

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, showing them to Tsunade. She couldn't help but shudder when she noticed that his eyes were like ice.

"No." He replied. He did not know who this person was, seeing as how he was locked down here for an unknown period of time.

"I am Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage."

Naruto stayed quiet but his eyes were carefully watching the one arm man standing by the door. He looked back and gestured for her to continue.

"To make this short, the village of Konohagakure is at war and we require your assistance."

"Not interested." Naruto coldly answered. "I have no business with this village."

The next thing that Tsunade said surprised Jiraiya. "If you help us, I will release you from this hellhole."

He marched forward, unable to contain his anger any longer. "What the hell Tsunade? Release him? That wasn't in your original plan! Your plan was to momentarily borrow his service in exchange for a lighter sentence!"

"Well the plan has changed." She argued. "There was never a set plan anyway."

"Then give me one good reason to trust this psychopath? How can you be sure that he won't go crazy and kill us all?"

Even though Naruto was still in the room, he ignored their comments. He still couldn't hear the dragon's name and until he heard it, he wasn't going anywhere. No matter how long it took, he wasn't going to leave until he heard it.

He watched as the two bickered back and forth and Naruto sighed, "Please leave the room. You asked me a question and I answered it. There is nothing more for us to discuss."

"Well, the boy has spoken Tsunade. Let's leave him to serve out the rest of his lifelong imprisonment."

"No." Tsunade firmly replied. "Listen boy, what will it take for you to lend us a hand?"

_Konohagakure, the Hokage Tower_

Orochimaru laughed to himself as he slowly approached the tower, savoring the moment. It wasn't everyday that he got to come back to the very village that banished him and successfully destroy it. It took three years of careful planning and fifteen years of hatred for him to succeed.

Many have mocked his plan but in the end, he was the one who had the last laugh. He wished they could see him now… but unfortunately; he had to silence those non-believers… permanently.

Even though he has Konoha where he wanted it, there was something bothering him. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find his two former teammates anywhere. It was almost like they abandoned the village to save themselves.

This was just too good to be true. Those two cowards actually ran away, abandoning everything!

"Ahahaha!" The Snake Sannin laughed. "Today, KONOHAGAKUE FALLS!"

"You disappoint me Shikamaru. You seriously disappoint me." Sasuke stated as he threw the Nara across the field. "Is this the best you can do?"

Shikamaru clutched the wound on his chest as he scooted backwards, needing time to come up with a plan.

"Do you want to die without putting up a fight?"

Shikamaru only gritted his teeth. He didn't have many options left. He wasn't even expecting Sasuke to come after him first. He expected him to go straight for the Hokage Tower, to complete his mission but like always, there's a miscalculation and this time, it was going to cost him dearly.

"Why are you doing this Sasuke? Did Orochimaru mistreat you or something?"

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "Don't make me laugh Nara. To me, you're like a little bug that I can crush without a second thought but I won't. You see, I need some information and you're the smartest person in this goddamn village. So you're going to tell me one thing and you better tell me the right answers the first time around."

"Like hell I would." Shikamaru replied, spitting the blood out of his mouth.

Seeing that his opponent needed a little demonstration of his power, Sasuke slowly called forth the famous Sharingan and charged forward. Before Shikamaru had the chance to do anything, he felt Sasuke's sword impaling itself through his right shoulder.

Shikamaru screamed in pain as the sword pierced through the shoulder. He wanted to fight back, to shove Sasuke away but his body wasn't responding at the moment. It was on the verge of shutting down due to the abundance of pain shooting through his mind and body.

Sasuke twisted his sword around in Shikamaru's shoulder, promising more pain and suffering to his opponent if he didn't help. "I want to know the location of the Uchiha Secret."

"What secret?" Shikamaru uttered, using his last ounce of strength to answer Sasuke. "What makes you think I know what you're talking about?"

That's when Sasuke yanked the sword out and lifted Shikamaru up by the throat. "You are so helpless and pathetic right now Nara. I can easily crush you… but I won't."

Shikamaru, at this point, was in so much pain that he couldn't lift his own hand to save himself. The pressure from Sasuke's hand was slowly cutting off the oxygen from his body. "Fine… If you won't tell me, I will slaughter everyone here. Starting with those tents over there."

His eyes followed where Sasuke was pointing to and saw that he was pointing towards the medical area, where Sakura, Ino and everyone else was working to save the lives of others.

"Ah… So you do know what's at stake here." Sasuke replied when he saw the worried in Shikamaru's eyes. "Let's take a visit there shall we?"

Without hesitation, Sasuke threw his opponent across the field, effectively into the tent. He could hear the screams coming from the medics, the frantic cries of wounded men and it was like music to his ears.

"SHIKAMARU!" Ino cried out when she finally realized that it was her teammate that came crashing down into the tent. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Hang on!" Sakura yelled as she began emergency treatment on his chest wounds. "Stay with us Shikamaru!"

Shizune shook her head in shock as she watched Sakura begin the treatment. "Who could have done such a thing?"

She found her answer when the tent was cut in half, exposing everyone inside. "Honey… I'm home."

Everyone looked up, fear in their eyes and shock written across their face. No one was able to believe it but there he stood, Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes filled with malice. "What? No welcome? No greeting?"

Sakura shook off her surprise and growled at her former teammate. "Back away Sasuke. You have no business here with the wounded. We have nothing that you could possibly want."

"You're so rude Sakura." Sasuke mockingly replied. "Is this how you welcome your first love home?"

"If you don't back away Sasuke, I'm going to kill you." Sakura threatened. "Don't think I'm still the weak little girl you once left behind."

She motioned for Ino to take over as she stood up firmly, her eyes glaring at Sasuke. "I'm serious here Sasuke. Leave now or I will not be held responsible for my actions."

"I think you got it wrong…" Sasuke slowly answered.

"It should be me that should not be held responsible for my actions…" Sakura's eyes widened when she felt Sasuke's arm drape themselves around her shoulders as he chuckled lightly.

She couldn't see him move from his spot. No one did and before anyone knew it, he was already standing beside her, poised to kill her before anyone could help.

"You may have improved over the years Sakura but know this, the difference between me and you is still too large to be compared." With his free arm, he slowly removed his sword from the sheath, preparing to show everyone why he was called a _tensai_ during his academy days.

Faced before him was the object of his goal, the Hokage Tower. Manda hissed slightly as the snake slithered around, eating all the ninjas that foolishly tried to attack him. Orochimaru licked his lips expectantly, but just before he could give the order to Manda to demolish this building, he heard two distinct cries of Kuchiyose no Jutsu before puffs of smoke appeared.

Sensing the arrival of two other beings, Manda wisely slithered backwards. Even though he was deemed the king of the serpents, even the king had to act wisely if he wanted to keep his throne…

The Snake King sniffed the air and hissed, "The air smells like shit now Orochimaru… I require 200 sacrifices instead of my usual hundred."

Orochimaru knew what the snake meant. Whenever the price doubled, it meant that it was trouble. Big trouble.

"Katsuyu… Gamabunta…" Manda hissed out. "I thought I smelled something like ass."

"My mate was kind of disappointed that I didn't bring her back a snake skin wallet last time." Gamabunta retorted as he took a puff of smoke from his pipe. "I won't make that mistake this time."

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party." Orochimaru chuckled. "It's too late anyway. The party's almost over."

Jiraiya, on top of Gamabunta, shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say? I like to make a big entrance."

While Jiraiya continued to joke around with Orochimaru, Tsunade's eyes flashed with anger. "OROCHIMARU!" She yelled. "I will have your head today! For your past and present crimes against Konoha, I sentence you to a swift death!"

The Snake Sannin merely laughed, unfazed by the empty threat, "Who do you think you are Tsunade? My executioner? I will crush Konoha today and tomorrow, this will be the spot for my new village!"

"Don't count me out just yet Orochimaru. As long as I still have strength in my body, I will defeat you here and now!"

Orochimaru bared a sinister smile, "I will enjoy crushing you!" He immediately tapped his foot on Manda and together, they charged forward.

"Aim for Jiraiya first!" Orochimaru yelled out. "He's weakened at the moment."

Gamabunta saw Manda approaching and blew the smoke from his pipe into the serpents eyes, causing it to writhe in pain.

Even though the snake was temporarily blinded, he released his acidic spit, burning anything that it touches. Scoring one lucky hit, it forced Gamabunta to jump up.

"Gimme some oil 'Bunta!" Jiraiya shouted.

"And do what with it?" The Toad King asked. "You only have one freaking arm!"

"Let it rain down fire!"

Gamabunta then realized what his summoner wanted and prepared the necessary oil. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was having difficulty with the hand seals. "One hand seals… What a bitch." The hermit replied as he hastily went through it again.

"Hurry up ya old pervert." Gamabunta yelled.

"One arm here!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the display between those two. Always getting on each other's nerves.

"Tsunade-sama? Let us do something to help Gamabunta." Katsuyu answered, speaking up for the first time since the battle.

"What do you have in mind Katsuyu?"

"Let's trap the serpent so he has nowhere to run."

Seeing where the plan was going, Tsunade jumped off the Slug and while she was in mid-air, she began performing hand seals.

When she landed on the ground, she forcefully slammed her palm against the ground.

"**Doton: Shi Kabe no Jutsu**"

Before Manda and Orochimaru could recover from the smoke, four earthen walls shot up from the ground, trapping them on the spot.

"GO JIRAIYA!" Tsunade shouted. Everything was set up for him now.

Jiraiya managed to finish the complex fire jutsu with one hand and he eagerly put it near his mouth.

"**Katon: Gamayu Endan**"

When combined with Gamabunta's oil, this was a lethal technique, more powerful than any regular fire jutsu.

With four walls trapping Manda, that snake had nowhere to go.

They watched as Manda hissed out in pain when the fire scorched his skin. Gamabunta landed on the ground, his arm reaching for the small dagger behind his back. This wasn't over, he could feel it in his bones. The snake probably had another trick up its spine.

When the smoke cleared, Tsunade took a closer examination. Her eyes widened when there was nothing here but a fake corpse. "Jiraiya! Manda went under!" She yelled out her warning but it was too late.

The ground started shaking underneath Gamabunta and the first thing that the toad did was leap up into the air. "Hang on Jiraiya!"

Manda sprung up from the ground, his mouth wide open to eat the toad. "I have you now you fat piece of shit!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened when he realized that it was a diversion. He cursed at himself for not realizing this any sooner.

The Snake King jumped upward, bearing its fangs, waiting to sink its teeth down into the flesh of his enemy. Its fangs, dripping with poison, will slowly kill anything that they touch. No one had survived its poison…

Gamabunta twisted in mid-air, a feat impressive for a toad his size and took out the dagger. Just as Manda was close enough, the large toad brought the dagger down, stopping the attack from coming any closer.

Seeing that her summon couldn't jump upward, Tsunade told Katsuyu to move closer to where Manda is.

"Katsuyu, we have to help them. Gamabunta can't do much while he's like that! Let's throw some acid into the air!" Tsunade shouted. The slug answered back by spitting out several balls of acid towards the snake.

Jiraiya smirked when he saw those dark green balls of acid, an idea already forming in his head. "Bunta! Hit them with your water bullet!"

"Why?" Gamabunta grunted, forcefully trying to push Manda away. The snake had gained some strength since their last encounter.

"Let Orochimaru have a taste of his own acid!"

"Alright." Gamabunta took this opportunity to put his webbed feet on Manda's face and leaped upward, avoiding any further attacks from Manda.

"How dare you?" Manda hissed out. "You dare put your feet on my face?"

The Toad King didn't bother to reply as he took a deep breath. "**Suiton: Teppoudama!**"

Orochimaru's eyes widened when he saw the combination between Tsunade and Jiraiya. Perfect as always and it was then that he realized that this was one fight he couldn't win. Looks like he'll have to use his trump card.

Seeing Manda hissing in pain reminded him how lucky he was to jump off in time.

"Orochimaru… The next time we meet, I will eat you." Manda threatened before dismissing himself.

The Snake Sannin landed safely on top of the Hokage Tower as he watched Jiraiya and Tsunade dismiss their summons before landing on the tower themselves. "Clever. Very clever indeed."

"It's over Orochimaru. Give it up." Tsunade stated, cracking her knuckles.

"Even though you might have stopped me, what's stopping Sasuke-kun from killing everyone? One way or another, Konoha will burn today!"

What Orochimaru got in return wasn't what he expected. They were supposed to run off, hurrying to locate where Sasuke is and stop him but instead, they were standing here grinning at him.

"Oh we're not worried about your little pet Orochimaru." Jiraiya replied, "In fact, it's you who should be worried. You'll be so lucky if your Sasuke-kun is even alive by the time you reach him."

"Fools! What did you do?" Orochimaru snarled. When none of them answered, he angrily turned around and jumped away. "This is not over Tsunade, Jiraiya! This is far from over!"

Jiraiya was about to follow Orochimaru when Tsunade stopped him. He turned around, confusion written on his face. "Why?"

"Let him go Jiraiya. We have bigger things to worry about."

"It's time to say goodbye Sakura…" Sasuke whispered, his right hand steadily gripping his weapon.

It looked like he would need to provide an example of what would happen when people do not abide by his demands. Pity, he actually liked Sakura too…

Before Sasuke could fully unsheathe his sword, a gust of cold frigid wind blew into the area, causing everyone to momentarily forget about the tension and shiver.

Ino was the first one to experience the sudden drop in the atmospheric pressure. She rubbed her arms slowly, keeping herself warm. There was something odd about this. They usually don't get winter around these parts of Konoha. In fact, it rarely snowed.

Before anyone could move, a large amount of Chakra erupted into the area.

Sasuke's senses went crazy, everything in his body was screaming for him to run, to leave this place and retreat. His legs were trembling slightly but his eyes were quickly searching for the source.

Without any warning, the sounds of blood gusting out caused everyone to turn to the source and when they finally located it, their eyes widened, especially Sasuke's.

The Uchiha didn't even feel anything hit him, let alone the cut on his arm. He quickly pushed Sakura away, thinking that she was the one who caused it. "Dirty trick Sakura. I didn't think you had it in you to do it but now you're going to pay." He sneered.

Sakura looked up, surprise in her eyes as well. "I wasn't even the one who cut you!" She argued as her left hand started to glow green to heal her cut.

"DIE!" Sasuke roared as he dashed forward, intending to impale the girl with his sword.

Shizune saw Sasuke move a split second too late and lifted her sleeves up, revealing a set of miniature darts. She ran towards Sakura, intending to fire her poisonous darts at the Uchiha while Ino started preparing for her family Jutsu, praying that she would complete it in time.

Sakura saw Sasuke coming towards her, a small smirk on his face as he lowered his sword. As she waited for Sasuke to come closer, she saw her life flashing before her eyes and that was when she knew, she was going to die.

All those times she argued with Ino…

All those times when she worked alongside Shizune…

She was going to miss them both dearly…

"Sayonara guys…" She whispered, closing her eyes.

Before Sasuke had the chance to stick that sword between Sakura's eyes, a man appeared in front of Sakura and Sasuke, blocking the attack.

"Sa…"

"…Kura!"

Sakura heard people screaming out her name and she slowly opened one eye, wondering if she was dead or not. When she finally opened both eyes, she saw a man standing in front of her and her eyes slowly moved from him to the weapon that he held in his right hand.

A Katana…

Without any hesitation, the man adeptly brought the blade up, knocking the sword away from Sasuke's hand and gave him a huge upward slash across the chest, one that would definitely leave a scar.

Sasuke howled in pain as man's Katana sliced across his chest. It felt like he was burning in the hottest of fire and at the same time, drowning in the coldest of ice. The blond didn't stop there, when he saw Sasuke staggering backwards, he ran forward and raised his sword. With one swift motion, he brought down another slash on Sasuke's chest, leaving an identical slash.

An X shaped wound on the pale chest of Uchiha Sasuke.

Everyone stood there amazed, especially Sakura. All of them watched as this man, unknown to them, easily pushed Sasuke around without breaking a sweat at all. They could tell that whoever this man was, he was skilled in Kenjutsu.

"That was… hot, yet cold..." Ino muttered. "Violent, yet peaceful… Cruel, yet gentle…"

The trio watched quietly, unsure if this man was friend or foe but as the saying went, an enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Who is he Shizune?" Ino whispered.

"I don't really know. I've never seen his face before." Shizune replied.

Standing at almost 5'10, the man had untamable blond hair but the most striking feature about him was his eyes. As the girls stared into his blue cerulean orbs, they felt a chill throughout their body. It was almost as if the man was composed of nothing but ice.

"He needs a new wardrobe." Sakura stated. As a matter of fact, the man arrived in nothing but tattered clothing, nothing but white shirt and pants that looked like he had outgrown them years ago. The worst part was that he was barefooted. Unimaginable, walking around with no shoes. It was the ultimate fashion crime.

There was an unbelievable amount of pain going through his body right now as Sasuke fell to the ground, unable to pick himself up.

The wound on his chest was making it difficult for him to breath.

As Sasuke slowly pushed himself up, he stared at his new opponent, his Sharingan glaring at the man.

How was it that he couldn't even see the man move? He couldn't even see the man swing his sword either. It was almost like a mirage…

His Sharingan was supposed to detect and copy all movements from the human body but just now, he couldn't see the man's attack. It was faster than what his eyes could follow.

Was that even humanly possible?

When Sasuke finally got back up, the man was at his side in an instant, stabbing his blade through Sasuke's left shoulder this time.

The feeling of hot and cold ran through his body again, causing the Uchiha to release an animalistic roar of pain. Just as quickly as the stab happened, the man yanked the sword out and slammed his foot into Sasuke's stomach, sending him flying back to the ground.

As the Uchiha lay there, desperately gasping for air, his eyes were slowly reverting back to their onyx state. "Fuck you." Sasuke venomously spat out. "I swear I'm going to kill you for this."

Instead of looking at his opponent, Naruto stared at his sword, disgusted by the blood that covered the blade. With one flick, the blood was removed from it. He then approached his opponent, ready to deliver the final blow that would end this battle but before he could do that, snakes shot up from the ground, causing him to dodge and step away from Sasuke.

Not letting the snakes stop him, he twisted his body in mid-air, using his foot as a pivot and with one swing, beheaded them all with ease.

"Ku ku ku. Look at what you did to my precious Sasuke-kun…" Orochimaru said as the legendary Snake Sannin appeared from the ground. "I should kill -"

He never got the chance to finish the threat as Naruto's blade came within inches of his neck. Orochimaru flipped backwards and landed right next to Sasuke, his eyes glaring at the man.

This must be the person that Tsunade and Jiraiya were so confident about. This must be him; the man who single handedly stopped his plans. It was all because of him that his plan failed. He made it a point to remember him for future references…

"The next time we meet, I will kill you myself." Orochimaru snarled. "Watch your back."

Putting one hand on Sasuke, the Sannin started to melt into the ground, leaving the battlefield completely.

Sensing that there wasn't any more danger, Naruto sheathed the sword back into its scabbard.

Holding the weapon tightly in his hand, "I still didn't hear your name today…"

The sword then emitted a light pulse… almost as if it heard Naruto but it wouldn't reply with an answer.

As Naruto stared into the city, he could tell that the invasion was almost over. Only the clean up remained…

"Maybe after this, you would answer me."

"Pathetic. You bugs are truly pathetic!" Juugo roared out. He swung his fists around angrily, disappointed by the fight. "Is this the best that Konoha has to offer?"

Chouji collapsed to the ground, unable to stand back up. He sported multiple fractures to his ribs and legs and right now, he was having double vision. He couldn't even see the enemy clearly anymore…

Konohamaru, on the other hand, was in no better condition. While he took the blunt of the attacks from the Sound Ninja, he was sporting multiple injuries throughout his body. It was a miracle that he was able to pick up his own weapon.

Juugo sighed as he revved his arm back, intending of crushing them with his fist but before he could get far, a familiar cold gust of wind blew into the area as a strange man slowly walked in. The Sound Nins that formed a protective circle around the fight turned their attention to the new man. Juugo himself stopped his fist in time just before it reached Konohamaru's face.

He stared at the man, confusion written on his face. "One man? They sent one man after me?"

The curse-seal user shook his head in disappointment. "Kill him. Konoha has greatly disrespected me with this."

The Sound Ninjas ran forward, their weapons rose to strike and kill but before they realized it, the man who once stood in front of them wasn't there anymore.

In fact, the man was now behind all of them, his back to them as well.

"Disrespect?" Naruto's voice echoed. "No… The Sound has disrespected me by sending me a weakling…"

Juugo laughed, "I'll crush you like a bug."

Naruto stared at the man, his huge body towering over his. "Is that so?" His hand reached for his sword and his thumb pushed his sword out from the scabbard slightly.

The moment he did that, the Sound Ninjas who went after him before dropped to the ground, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition.

Chouji saw the mutilation with his eyes and quickly put his hands over his mouth, trying to prevent himself from vomiting. Konohamaru wasn't so lucky and vomited the contents of his stomach out. The sight before them was so gruesome that not even they wished for this on their enemy.

Juugo unleashed a roar of fury as he pushed for more power. He instantly transformed into his curse-seal level 2 form and with this much power at his disposal; no one was going to stop him.

Naruto only gave his opponent a second look before he unsheathed his sword. "Should we dance for old time's sake?" He quietly asked.

The Sound Nin sent his fist flying straight into Naruto's face however before it could reach; his arm fell to the ground, in three different pieces. Juugo's eyes widened, surprised to see the man moving this fast but before he could do anything else, his own body started to fall apart.

Before this man knew it, he was already dead.

The last thing in his mind was the thought of hot and cold from the blade.

Chouji and Konohamaru couldn't believe what just happened. This man just defeated a monster without even trying.

Just who on earth was he?

Konohamaru wanted to ask for his name but before he had a chance to do it, the man disappeared without a trace, leaving them to ponder on who he was.

Suigetsu leered over the Konoha pair menacingly as he silently stalked his prey. He was having too much fun here. These Konoha Nin were certainly entertaining. Karin rolled her eyes as she stood on the sidelines, waiting for her partner to finish the job.

'_Silent killing. Silent Killing. For the love of god, just finish the goddamn job.'_ Karin thought. _'No one cares if the art of Silent Killing is appreciated or not!'_

An alarm suddenly exploded from within Karin's head, screaming at her that someone dangerous was in the area. Her eyes tried to pinpoint the exact location of that person. Her eyes widened when she realized that this person was standing in front of them the entire time.

"Suigetsu! Back away!" She yelled.

Suigetsu was just about to bring down his weapon for the final blow when he heard the warning from his partner. "What? Why?" He shouted back.

Not heeding her warning, he felt something cold slicing through his arms, his weapon dropping to the ground while he screamed in pain.

The mist slowly dispelled itself when the caster was injured, allowing a small gust of frigid air to blow into the area, allowing everyone to see again.

Kiba and Akamaru stood near Tenten, protecting her but what surprised them both was that Suigetsu was on the ground, snarling at the man in front of him.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Naruto didn't answer, his eyes glaring straight at the woman in front of him. Karin felt herself shiver as she stared into the man's eyes. His icy cold blue eyes.

She didn't need to use her special ability to tell that he was the man who set off those alarms in her head. "Suigetsu, we have to leave now!"

"What? No way!"

"FOOL!" Karin yelled out. "He will kill us both if we don't leave now!"

Suigetsu uttered a low growl as he picked up the sword with his other arm. He glared daggers at the man before Karin appeared next to him.

"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."

Karin merely glanced at the man before disappearing, leaving them alone. Naruto turned to Kiba and saw the wound on Tenten's stomach. Akamaru slowly growled at the man.

"Down boy…" Kiba whispered. "We owe him our lives…"

Standing on top of the Hokage Tower, the only building that remained undamaged, Tsunade and Jiraiya surveyed the damaged caused by the Sound.

This village and everyone in it were incredibly lucky today. Who knows what would have happened if they didn't convince Naruto to help them.

Tsunade shuddered to think but deep down, she knew what would have happened.

The village would have fallen to Orochimaru and Konoha would have been burnt to the ground.

Maybe, it was for the best that things did turn out this way. It was a hard blow to the village but it will recover. She'll make sure of it.

A loud cheer erupted from the village as the Sound hastily retreated, the ninjas running and jumping over the wall once they realized that the invasion had failed.

Tsunade sighs, rubbing her arms slightly. "We sure were lucky…"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, searching for Naruto. "Where the hell is he? Did you see what happened when we let him go? He disappeared on us! He could have fled the village for all we know!"

"Don't worry too much Jiraiya. The man's going back to jail." She assured. "I only needed to borrow his strength for a little while but now that's over, he'll go back."

"And what if he doesn't comply with your rules?"

"He won't have a choice."

What the both of them didn't know was that this was only the beginning. The beginning of his story.

As those two stood above the tower, watching the chaos die down, they failed to realize that a cold storm front had begun moving towards them…

Time had begun to move forward once more…

* * *

Author's Note: Hm... This is my first time crossing over into the realm of Bleach and merging that of Naruto. I don't know what to expect from this nor do I know where I'm going. All i'm asking is that you readers just be patient and wait for me. I won't disappoint you. I promise.

Now, just hit that review button right there and let me know that I'm doing a good job!


	2. Unfrozen Memories

Hey hey guys! How you doing? Oh my? What an insane amount of reviews. Talk about Crazeyyyy. Mucho Thanks to everyone that left me a review, telling me to continue. Your thoughts have been heard and I have finished the chapter! Each of my chapers for this story will be 10k or more. Without a doubt!

Some of your questions may be answered here, some may not. They will be answered over time as the story continues building.

Thanks to Wilson (Weixuan) for proofreading this.

Let's hear it for another hundred reviews xD!

* * *

The winds are blowing, yearning for change. Each time it blew, it was carrying away the sins of the past and allowing the seeds of the future to take root. Oddly enough, he could feel it happening. He didn't know how or why but he just did.

Maybe it was because of his imprisonment.

Maybe it was because of who he was.

He didn't need others telling him that he was different. He could feel it himself. There was something about himself that differentiated him from others. He just didn't know what that difference was.

Was it his birthmarks on his cheeks? Or was it because he was an orphan?

No. It was none of those.

The answer stared right at him whenever he held the weapon in his hand.

He knew he was different from the moment his fingers touched the hilt on the katana. It was almost as if destiny herself wanted him to become something more. To be more than just another orphan who had no place in this world.

Destiny must have known that this was his calling. That one day he would be needed and be set free.

Naruto stood there, watching ninjas rejoice after their almost defeated war. Some were grinning while others were grieving for the lost of their fallen comrades, their fallen loved ones but in the end, he didn't care.

Being stuck in that cell for fifteen years had taught him a lot. It taught him that he wasn't one of them. He was an outcast, a scorn of society. That was why no one bothered to visit him, except for the old man. Once a week, he would stop by, either to just speak to him for a few moments or to drop something off but those visits soon stopped.

It bothered him at first but soon, it was forgotten, just like everything else.

He remembered the old man telling him something, something that didn't quite make sense. It was a couple of years ago but he could still remember the message…

'_A man who walks the path of a wolf shall be greeted by nothing but for a man who walks the path for himself, he shall become great.'_

He remembered that day, the old man spoke in a sad tone, almost as if he knew that day would be his final visit…

Naruto sighed. He was thinking way too much into the past. "The past should stay buried in the past…" He muttered as he walked around the village.

He wasn't shocked to see people appearing on the streets, to survey the damage themselves. Homes were destroyed, torn in half. The streets were painted with blood and bodies covered most of it.

As he looked ahead, Naruto saw a group of five large men running towards him in a hurry. In that very moment, his body began to tense and his breathing started to increase. His left hand intuitively reached for his Katana and waited.

But it never came. The group of men ran past Naruto, shouting to everyone that help was coming soon.

"Hang in there! Hokage-sama is sending the medics now! Just hang on!" They shouted to anyone who would listen. They continued to spread their loud message, taking to heart their mission from the Hokage.

Naruto watched as the group of men ran past him harmlessly, not bumping his shoulder or shoving him out of the way. His muscles slowly relaxed themselves and he continued on his way out of the village.

After walking for a few minutes, he finally saw the gates that led to the outside world. These were the very gates that separated them from the entire world. The very gates that currently stood between him and finding his answer.

He hurried up his pace to the gates, anticipating the moments before he took his first step out of this village.

"Halt!" A member from ANBU said, holding his palm up. "We're under orders to not let anyone leave the village at this moment."

Naruto gave the ANBU wearing a Hawk Mask a confused look. "Please elaborate yourself further ninja-san. Your instructions aren't clear."

"What is there to understand? The orders were absolute." Hawk answered in a serious voice. "No one is allowed to leave at this time."

"No, your orders are to not let anyone that originally belonged to this village leave but I'm not from this village. In fact, I don't belong to this village at all…"

Hawk looked at Naruto, finally noticing that the boy was really pale, almost if he was from another country. The people from Konoha were naturally tan from being in the sun but this boy was different. Even his clothes, as tattered as his were, was white as well.

"… It doesn't matter. Hokage-sama wants no one entering and leaving this village." Hawk replied, standing firm on his decision. "No one."

Naruto sighed as he turned back around, walking back into the village. His hand held the Katana firmly. Maybe he could sneak out, using the village's critical state as a distraction to escape.

Yeah, that would be the best plan.

He had no debt to them anymore. He upheld his end of the bargain and surely, the Hokage would do the same.

She looked like a trustworthy person if she was willing to come down to his cell to ask for his help. Either that or she was desperate…

As Naruto looked around, he noticed that the walls that protected Konoha were crumbling but then he frowned. There were ANBU everywhere, each team guarding each area along the wall.

They were really adamant about not letting anyone out. Naruto sighed, giving up his earlier plan of escaping. He wasn't a ninja; he couldn't just disappear like they can. He was just a man with a sword…

Instead of brooding, the blond decided to take a brisk walk around the village, seeing as how this was the first time he was back.

It really had been fifteen years since he last saw the surface world. Almost everything had changed; the scenery, the buildings… and the people. He could barely remember any of the places in Konoha anymore, with exception to the local landmarks. These places were nothing more than a fading dream…

He moved in a daze, his destination unknown. While his mind was preoccupied with thoughts, his body was on automatic. Somehow, someway, it was moving by itself.

When his feet finally stopped, Naruto's eyes widened, realizing where he was before reading the words at the abandoned building.

"…Konoha… Medical… Facility…"

He knew this place. Yes, he definitely knew this place but why?

Naruto looked around, seeing the broken front steps leading up to the front door, the clean sparkly windows that were now dirty and shattered.

Suddenly, his head started throbbing and then his world begun to spin. Naruto dropped to his knees and clutched his head with his right hand.

Screams….

Curses…

Crying…

Yells…

The voices were getting louder and Naruto was frantically shaking his head, trying to shake whatever was in his head out.

"_NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!"_

"_STOP FUCKING MOVING YOU DEE-BRAT! I CAN'T –"_

"_Please… You can't take it away from me…"_

Memories came flooding back as Naruto closed his eyes. They took him here… That night, when he found his sword, they took him here…

He remembered a doctor, with a scar across his face yanking the sword out of his hand before administrating something to him. One thing led to the next and the doctor was holding a scalpel next to his neck.

"_Now be a good demon and hold still. I need to do something…"_

"_DON'T TOUCH ME!"_

That was the night where everything went to hell. Literally.

He remembered the old man showing up, staring at him with disappointment. Next to him was the doctor, with both of his hands removed and lying on the floor away while he wept in the corner.

"_ARGHHHH!"_

One last scream came forth and Naruto found himself back in reality. He could feel the sweat dripping down the sides of his face, his breathing irregular.

"What the hell is going on with me?" He asked to no one in particular. Naruto focused his eyes on his hands before pushing himself off from the ground. "I've got to get out of here…"

- - -

_In the Hokage Chambers_

Tsunade paced back and forth, unable to sit still. She paced around her office, walking back and forth in circles. Jiraiya was looking through the window, his eyes quickly scanning the area for Naruto. "Where the hell is he?" He muttered.

Ants! They were like ants out there but like ants, there were too many to distinguish one from another. Feeling so helpless pissed him off so much. If only he had his other arm…

"Where the fuck are they?!" Tsunade growled, checking the time. The meeting should have started fifteen minutes ago. What part of urgent did they not get?

She heard a small chuckle from Jiraiya and looked his way. The man stood there with a smug look on his face. "What's so funny?"

"You." Jiraiya chuckled. "I have never seen you this serious before. Not even when we decided to tackle that crazy death trap Minato constructed."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, not amused at all. She understood that he was trying to shed some humor on their situation but it was unnecessary. She had a village to rebuild and every moment is precious.

Hearing the sound of the doors opening, Tsunade sighed and turn around. "Finally! Where the hell were you guys?"

Iruka rubbed his head nervous as his two other accomplices pushed him in. "Erm… Uh… There's a good reason Hokage-sama…" The Chunnin uttered out. "Izumo?"

The scarred Chunnin quickly sidestepped and pushed his partner forward. Izumo gulped when he saw the murderous glare she was giving the group. "Ah… Kotetsu?"

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade bellowed out. "JUST GET IN HERE!" She firmly ordered.

The trio silently stepped inside, unable to find their voice. Tsunade paced around the group, looking at each one of them. "I don't care what you do when you're off duty. I don't even care if you're bleeding to death but when I request a meeting with you, I demand that ALL OF YOU SHOW UP ON TIME!"

The men flinched, unable to bring themselves to look her in the eye. Each one of them uttered an apology.

Tsunade sighed, "Look, I know we just finished a great battle and everyone's tired but please, I only have one more assignment for you. Once you finish this, consider yourself on a two day vacation."

The trio looked up, confused at the sudden change of tone. "What is it Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked. "What do you want us to do?"

"There is this person that I want you to seek out." Tsunade said. "He's within the village walls." She quickly added after seeing the sad look in their eyes. "This man shouldn't be too hard to find. He sticks out like a fish on land."

"What does he look like?" Kotetsu asked. "If he sticks out, we should be able to find him quickly but because of the battle, everyone is sticking out. If you get what I mean."

Tsunade nodded her head. "He has blond hair… -" She saw Izumo's eyebrow twitch and quickly knew what he was going to ask. "He's unrelated to the Yamanaka Clan, Izumo."

"Or me." She added, not wanting to know what kind of thoughts went inside that head of his.

The Chunnin nodded his head and allowed Tsunade to continue. "His skin is pale, probably due to the lack of sunlight and his clothes are white. The only unique thing about this man is that he's carrying a Katana. You guys will be searching the village individually and when you locate this man, do not and I repeat, do not engage him in any fashion. He is highly skilled and I am unsure of what his current mental condition is. Watch from afar and send up a chakra flare when you find him. Jiraiya and I will be searching the village as well so do not worry. We will come as fast as we can when we feel it."

"Do you guys have any questions?" Tsunade asked after debriefing this team. Each of them shook their head. "Good then move out Team Eagle." She watched as each member of Team Eagle disappeared in a Shunshin.

They were Team Eagle, consisting of Iruka Umino, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane. They were the fastest runners in the village. They have trained long and hard to achieve their current status and there were a few people that could beat them in a race.

"Let's move out Jiraiya. We have a lot of ground to cover." She called out to her teammate.

The Toad Hermit merely sighed; tired of everything that is going on. "I'm always cleaning up your messes Tsunade. I won't always be here to do it." Jiraiya walked past her with a stoic expression on.

"I know that Jiraiya… I know that…" She whispered, locking the door behind her.

- - -

The further Naruto walked away from the medical building, the less pain his head was in. It was such an odd experience but he wasn't sure how it happened. One minute, he was fine and then the next, his mind was on fire.

The images felt so real, almost if they just happened yesterday.

It was like he could feel all the pain, the emotion from it.

Maybe once he left this village, he could seek out someone who can understand his problem. A professional perhaps.

Walking further away, he found himself faced with another building and his eyes widened for a second time. This building… he remembered it.

"… Why…?" Naruto asked, taking a step backwards. This three floor building should have been condemned a long time ago. This hellhole should have never existed. This was a piece of shit orphanage that made him wish for a real place to call home.

"What the fuck!" Naruto cursed out. "Why are you still standing?!"

"_AHHHH!"_

"STOP YELLING!" Naruto screamed. "WHO ARE YOU?!" The blond tilted his head back, trying to subdue the immense pain that he was experiencing.

"_YOU… YOU'RE A MONSTER!"_

Images began flashing through his head once more but this time, it was coming in faster. Naruto dropped to his knees, using both hands to clutch his head. "STOP!!" He yelled.

Images of him standing outside the orphanage, knocking on the door.

A lady… the caretaker… screaming at him…

The Katana soaked in a crimson liquid…

"_DON'T COME BACK HERE YOU DEMON!"_

More screams and the cries of the other orphans.

Rocks coming towards him…

"PLEASE!! Just stop!" Naruto begged, repeatedly slamming his head against the hard ground. "No more… Please…" He whimpered. "Please… no more…"

Just as quickly as they came, the images slowly began to disappear, allowing the blond to return to reality. The pain slowly lessens and Naruto was soon able to regain his bearings. He intuitively reached for his weapon, not caring about the wound on his forehead at the moment.

Whenever he had his hand around his Katana, he felt a sense of comfort, protection. Throughout his early life, he was never offered the feeling of comfort, warmth, and protection but this weapon, strangely enough, managed to offer it to him. For that, he was grateful and to repay the favor, he was going to go on a quest, to find the name of the beast that resides within.

So he could personally thank him…

A sudden sound caused Naruto to look up, seeing a ninja running across the rooftop of the building rather quickly.

"Looks like he got the same idea… I got to get out of here…" Naruto muttered as he too, followed the example set by this ninja.

- - -

Kotetsu leaped across rooftops in a single step, jumped over two houses with a single leap but where the hell is this Naruto bastard? He was giving up his precious sleep time to search for him. He released a low growl as he Shunshin from one spot to the next. Blond hair, white everything, the phrase he kept repeating in his head.

"Argh! This is hopeless!" The Chunnin yelled. He frantically scratched his head, "Maybe I should switch my approach. Be like Shikamaru, think like Shikamaru…"

In a second, the anxious expression was replaced with a laid back one and Kotetsu stifled a yawn. "That's more like it. Work more efficiently, not harder."

The Chunnin giggled to himself as he landed on the abandoned orphanage. He looked around, seeing a dirty homeless man bowing to the ground. Figures he wouldn't be here. Maybe he should head to the market area…

"An apple smoothie sounds good right about now… Let's hope the stand hasn't been damaged in the process."

Without another word, the man leaped forward and disappeared with a Shunshin in mid-air, an amazing feat that even some Jounins couldn't accomplish.

But what Kotetsu didn't know was that the homeless man he disregarded earlier was actually Naruto Uzumaki, the target that he was searching for. It wouldn't have mattered anyway because as soon as he left, a cold breeze blew in, causing the footprints on the ground to disappear, erasing all evidence from the area…

- - -

"The Konoha Police Precinct..."

Those were the words that were written on the big sign but even that couldn't withstand the full fury of war.

It wasn't just the sign; the entire building was in ruins. Naruto surveyed the area, gulping at the damage. He had a vague memory of this building. He remembered it being magnificent, having such a superior aura to it.

To be honest, out of every building here in Konoha, he had a deep respect for this one. When he was still young, he had a childhood dream of becoming a policeman for Konoha, someone that upholds the law and brings justice to the evil.

But that was then and this was now…

His hands were too tainted with blood to be an upholder of justice. He had killed in exchange for one wish… A hero of justice wouldn't do something like this…

Naruto took a sniff of the air and he quickly squeezed his nose. The scent of blood reeked in this area, a lot stronger than anywhere else.

He sighed as he took a step forward, into the area to see but before he did that, he felt his head throbbing and he stopped. Naruto slowly massaged his temples and turned around. He didn't want another episode of memory lane so he wisely turned around and walked away.

The last two times were incredibly painful. The images… the feelings… it was just too much and he almost lost control over himself.

Who knows what he would have done if he lost control…

Without another thought, Naruto started walking out of the area, seeing a large red circular dome near the precinct.

"That… looks… familiar…" He said and then decided to walk over there next.

Just as Naruto left the area, Izumo entered the area via Shunshin. He stood on top of a pole, staring down at the area. He sighed as he looked at the destroyed precinct and saw the dead bodies laying along side it. This was just terrible… the lives of people who died today… it was too horrible…

There was no one in the area that vaguely resembled the description that Tsunade-sama gave him. Hell, there wasn't even anyone else in the village that had blond air except for the Yamanaka Clan, herself and the Yondaime and since the Yondaime was dead for some time now, Kami bless his soul, the Yamanaka clan was the reasonable choice.

"Okay, I'll check with Inoichi and see if he knows anything." Izumo said, nodding his head. "Might as well ask the people around them too…"

The Chunnin tapped the surface of the pole a few times with his right foot before disappearing in a Shunshin.

- - -

"So this is the place…" Naruto said as he walked into the area. "Don't look like much…"

The blond stopped walking when the pain in his head acted up again but only this time, it came in waves. Large tidal waves…

Naruto gritted his teeth as he took a step back but before he could do that, his body took a step forward. His eyes widened in surprise when he couldn't stop himself. With each step forward, the pain came faster and harder. The images rammed itself against his brain, demanding access into his mind.

"NO!" Naruto shouted but it was futile. His body wasn't responding and either was his sword. The sword began to emit a small blue glow and it was also pulling him towards the academy. Naruto couldn't let go of the Katana, his hands weren't responding to his thoughts. It was almost as if his body turned into a zombie…

The body dragged its host deeper into the surrounding area, passing by the swings and sandbox but it didn't stop there. It kept going until it was near the Academy itself. Naruto stared at the building with widen eyes.

He remembered… He remembered this place…

This was where it all started for him…

It was coming together now…

"_STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER DEMON!"_

There it was; the screams. It started once more and Naruto knew what was going to happen next.

"_You are not welcome here. Be gone."_

"_My mommy said you're a bad boy so I can't play with you anymore."_

More yelling…

Naruto felt himself grasping for air; it felt like the very oxygen in his body was being depleted and his lungs felt heavy.

"_If you dare to show your face here again, then I, Ryo-sama, will personally beat you up!"_

These memories, the searing pain in his head… He couldn't take it anymore. Naruto dropped to the ground, kneeling against it with his hands lying next to his body. "I can't win…" He whispered. "I can't stop these memories anymore…"

The moment Naruto gave up, the images flew straight into his mind, conjuring up the memories of his past, the memories that he had suppressed and the memories of that fateful day…

It was finally becoming clear…

All those memories that he saw today, it was all his.

It all started here, where he came by the academy to play in the sandbox. He only wanted to be alone so he decided that coming when the sun was setting would guarantee that but he was wrong.

When he entered the area, he found a couple of people still here but they paid him no attention so he just walked in. There was a girl in the sandbox, happily laughing as she threw sand everywhere…

He walked up to here, standing there with a pleading look in his eyes but otherwise, remained silent. He didn't know what to say to this girl.

"_Do you wanna build a sand castle with me?" She asked, noticing him standing by the edge. _

That was her voice, asking him if he wanted to play with her. Naruto remembered nodding his head and they were off building their huge castle, fit for a princess.

They finished building one tower before it just collapsed and sand flew everywhere. The girl giggled as she flung sand all over the air.

"_Sand sand! Fly like the wind! Be free like the Fand!"_

He couldn't help but laugh too, throwing sand in the sand with her.

"_STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU DEMON!"_

The mother, who just walked out of the academy ran towards the sandbox and yanked her daughter away. The girl had a look of surprise on her face and didn't bother to hide it. She started to throw a fit, yelling at her mother for ruining her fun.

The woman whispered something into her ear and then the girl's eyes slowly changed from being angry to frighten.

She slowly walked back but stopped half way, afraid to continue any further.

"_My mommy said you're a bad boy. I don't play with boys who are naughty."_

She said that with a frightened tone and then ran off, running towards her mother and they left the academy playground together. She didn't even turn back to look at him…

The sun soon began to set and he knew it was time to leave. The old man told him stories about monsters that came out in the dark, to steal away children who stayed out late. He hurried up his pace but before he got far, a group of boys stopped him.

They picked up rocks and threw it at him, some without much force while others pelted him with everything they had.

"_If you dare to show your face here again, then I, Ryo-sama, will personally beat you up!"_

That was the large lean boy, the one wearing a bandana on his head. He started pointing and the rest of the guys joined in as well…

The pain from the rocks didn't hurt that much compared to the other pain he was feeling. Physical wounds were capable of being heal, sometimes without a scar but it's the emotional pain that really stung.

The pain from being so helpless, from being so weak, it made him a target for bullies. He guessed it was because he was an orphan, a kid without parents, that's why he was picked on. No one in this world wanted a kid that didn't know where he came from, not even the people in the orphanages.

Feeling the emotions in him fighting in turmoil, Naruto dug his fingers deep into the hard rocky soil, not caring that his fingers were blistering. All he wanted was for the memory to finish, so he can pick himself up and leave.

But the fates weren't so kind and the memory began to replay.

It started right here, at the sandbox that caused him to be late going back to the orphanage. He ran away from the bullies, crying, begging them to stop but they wouldn't. They chased him into a group of drunken adults who took over the harassment.

He did everything he could to get away but in the end, he couldn't. They cornered him in an alleyway and that was when he found it. The strange Katana…

After picking it up, he felt something stirring inside of him, begging him to let it out. The fear and anger that he had allowed whatever it was to control him for that moment and within moments, the group of men were dead on the ground.

The persona didn't stop there. It continued to fight, against the group of ANBU before finally, the old man himself had to step in, to stop himself from killing others.

The old man took him to a medical facility but that itself was a mistake. The quack of a doctor was just one of them, another person who hated him.

The orphanage was no different. They wouldn't let him back in but he didn't care. It wasn't really his home anyway…

Watching the memory happen all over again, Naruto did the only thing he could and that was to scream.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

- - -

Iruka let out an exhausted sigh. He then groaned as he walked over to the academy. This was not how he wanted to end his day with. All he wanted was a warm comfortable bed and maybe some ramen…

Yeah… some nice ramen with a little helping of Ayame on the side… He giggled at the naughty thought.

Yeah for sure… he was going to stop by for some ramen after this…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Iruka looked ahead when he heard a blood-curling scream. It didn't take a second before he ran towards the playground, locating the source of the scream.

He saw a man on the ground, lying in a fetal position as he clutched his head, screaming in pain.

"Sir…"

The man didn't respond with words, only sounds of grunts and growls.

"SIR! Are you okay?" Iruka asked. He took a moment to take a good look at the man. He had blond hair and his skin was pale compared to the rest of the population. It then hit him, could this be the man that Tsunade-sama was looking for?

"Not to switch topics or anything sir but by any chance, are you Uzumaki Naruto?"

Hearing his name, Naruto turned his head slowly and his eyes looked up at the man. He had a scar on his face and he was wearing a standard Chunnin vest. He saw the man tensing up and he reached for his weapon.

Iruka saw that the man was reaching for the sword and stepped back. He held his hands up in the air and waved, "Woah, hold up for a minute! I'm not your enemy! Look!" Iruka pointed to his hitai-ate. "Konoha! I'm a Chunnin from Konoha!"

At this point, Naruto's head was in so much pain that his eyes couldn't distinguish the man in front of him from the men in his memories. They were looking all the same and before he knew it, the colorful world of reality was gone, replaced by the dull, gray world of memories…

And then it just snapped… all the emotions that he held back… it finally came out.

Iruka held his breath as he watched the man pushed himself up from the ground. Maybe he heard his voice and identified him as an ally.

But he was damn wrong.

So damned wrong…

Without much warning, the man shot up like a rocket, his sword aim to kill. His actions took the Chunnin by surprise but his body acted on instinct, moving itself back to dodge it.

What Iruka didn't see was a rock behind him and he tripped but as the fates would have it, his fall saved his life.

He watched as the man lounged past him, the sword barely going past his noise. Iruka took this moment to shove his attacker away.

"Stop! I'm not your enemy!" He explained but it fell on deaf ears. Iruka took out a kunai and held it in a defensive position. "I don't want to fight you!"

There wasn't much time for talk after that. The man increased his speed once more and Iruka had to concentrate. His eyes could barely follow the man's speed.

This was just insane. Didn't Tsunade-sama warn them not to engage in any physical combat with this man?

Fuck, he hated it when she was right. He was out of his league here and if he didn't act soon, he was going to be six feet under.

Iruka barely sidestepped the next attack, allowing it to harmlessly strike the ground but the effects of the aftermath caused his eyes to widen. He couldn't believe that from a single strike, the ground was split open. Granted that it wasn't as powerful as Tsunade-sama's punch, this wasn't far from it

"Gah!" Iruka grunted as he Shunshin away from the area. He landed on a nearby tree, panting.

He held up a hand seal and then flared up his chakra, channeling as much as he could. He silently prayed that they got his message.

"Holy fuck!" Iruka cursed out when he saw Naruto leaping into the air, his sword posed to cut him in half. He couldn't believe how fast the blond had found him. From this position, he couldn't roll out of the way to avoid the strike completely.

"DON'T!" The Chunnin shouted but Naruto didn't stop. One moment, he was twisting his body, preparing for the final strike and the next; the blond lounged forward in mid-air.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" A familiar voice shouted. Before Naruto had the chance to strike, Tsunade leaped into the air and tackled him, sending the both of them into the ground.

"You okay Iruka?" Jiraiya asked, appearing next to him. The Chunnin merely nodded, unable to find his voice. "Alright, we can take it from here. Now if excuse me, I got a big problem to solve."

The Toad Hermit leaped down from the tree and stood next to Tsunade, who was looking at Naruto.

"His eyes…" He heard her whisper.

Jiraiya looked at the fallen blond, wondering what she meant by that. After the dust cleared, he saw what she was referring to. His cerulean eyes weren't there anymore. As ridiculous as that sounded, he couldn't see Naruto inside Naruto. It was just a blank soul within a body. It was almost like if Naruto wasn't there anymore.

"What happened to –"

"- MOVE!"

Tsunade shouted, interrupting Jiraiya. With one hand, she shoved her teammate out of the way as Naruto ran forward, bringing his sword down for a downward slash. The Hokage raised her arms and easily caught Naruto's wrist but that was a mistake.

She was taken by surprise when she felt the immense power behind the attack. Even though it didn't connect, the strength that Naruto put into it was felt throughout her entire body. She could feel her knees giving out from the pressure.

"JIRAIYA!" She painfully yelled. "DO SOMETHING!"

Jiraiya groaned as he picked himself up. He turned to his teammate and saw that she was barely holding Naruto off. "What do you want me to do?"

"TAKE OUT A KUNAI AND STICK IT UP HIS ASS. I DON'T FUCKING CARE! JUST DO IT!"

Tsunade concentrated some chakra into her knee and brought it up, connecting it with Naruto's stomach. The sudden knee blow caught the blond by surprise, sending him flying into an academy wall.

She panted slightly as she recomposed herself. Jiraiya walked up next to her and stared at the hole in the wall. "I'm just a guy with one arm. What do you want from me? My other arm?"

"I'll have your balls if you don't do something about this." She threatened.

Before Jiraiya could retort a reply, a huge power surged from inside of the walls and the Sannins stared at the emerging blond with surprised eyes.

"You don't think he accessed the Kyuubi's powers do you?"

Tsunade nodded her head. "That could be the cause of that huge power spike… The demon might be breaking the seal that Minato placed on him. Quickly, we must stop him before the Kyuubi frees himself."

Jiraiya nodded, "I'll prepare the Gogyou Fuuin but I need some time Tsunade. It's not easy doing it with just one hand you know."

She groaned but she had no other choice. She wasn't knowledgeable with seals and Jiraiya couldn't possibly go head to head with Naruto in his state. "How long?" She asked.

"One minute."

"You got thirty seconds." She yelled before running into battle. The blond swung his sword sideways, causing Tsunade to duck under and counter with an elbow to the solar-plexus. She expected Naruto to wake up from the blow or get pushed back but he didn't. He just stood there, unfazed by the attack.

"What the fuck?" She asked, staring in amazement. Tsunade didn't have much time to wonder when Naruto brought his left fist up, knocking her directly in the face. She grunted as she leaped back, rubbing her sore nose.

"Bastard!" Tsunade ran back in and slammed her fist into the ground, causing it to split open. The blond leaped forward, avoiding the ground splitting and he thrust his Katana forward, aiming for Tsunade's head.

The Hokage saw the attack coming from a mile away. She could easily dodge it but she needed to subdue him. "Are you ready yet?!" She hastily asked.

"SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO DO IT WITH ONE ARM." Jiraiya yelled back, focusing all his concentration into doing this right. He had one shot or else, he wouldn't have a teammate anymore.

Tsunade growled and with no option left, she concentrated enough chakra into her fist that should shatter that blade of his.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP NARUTO!" She screamed when her fist connected with the blade. The force from the explosion caused the both of them to be thrown back. Naruto skidded and rolled along the ground while Tsunade dug her heels into the dirt, to prevent her from sliding further back.

Tsunade waved her hand around, trying to ease the pain away. Her eyes widened when she saw Naruto holding the sword forward. Did her eyes deceive her or was there no crack on it?

She put most of her chakra behind that attack. It had enough to shatter most blades easily but his Katana wasn't even damaged. Not even cracked.

Just what the fuck was going on? What kind of blade did that man possess?

She wasn't prepared when Naruto disappeared from his spot, using some sort of a high level Shunshin and appeared behind her. He posed his sword to deal the fatal blow but it never came. Tsunade held her breath, wondering what was going on.

She had already deduced that Naruto was in an unconscious state. His pupils were enough evidence to make that claim. Something must have triggered in his mind and his body was now acting on pure instinct.

Slowly, Naruto lowered his arms, bringing his Katana to his sides before falling to the ground.

"Are you okay Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, appearing from behind Naruto.

"You… What… How…?" Tsunade stuttered out. "What did you do?!"

"I hit him with the Gogyou Fuuin during your last attack. In the midst of your fighting, I used that as an advantage and rushed in. I'm surprise you didn't see me appear from the sides. The boy was tough, I'll give him that. I mustered everything I had into that one blow. Locating the seal on his stomach was troublesome but seriously Tsunade, for him to last this long after I applied the seal only proves one thing."

"And what's that?"

"He wasn't under the influence of the Kyuubi." Jiraiya muttered. "Something else must have happened and I don't know if what I just did was the smartest thing…"

Jiraiya didn't have to wait long for it to happen. Before Tsunade could further question her teammate, a huge blue force exploded from Naruto, causing the two Sannins to move away and shield their eyes from the light.

"SEE!" Jiraiya shouted, "I TOLD YOU!"

Tsunade didn't even dignify that with a response as she watched the event unfold by itself.

Just as quickly as the light appeared, it disappeared in an instant. Tsunade and Jiraiya stood there, amazed at the special effects but it wasn't the effects that made them speechless. It was the silhouette that stood above Naruto that caught their tongue.

A silhouette that resembled a dragon…

None of them could move nor speak. They were too enchanted by the way this beast was standing over him protectively, almost as if it was guarding him from them.

The dragon sent its gaze towards them and it was enough to make Jiraiya weak in the knees. With a flap of its mighty wings, it sent them a cold breeze before disappearing into sparkles, making them wonder if it was just a figment of their imagination.

"Do you think it was an illusion?" Tsunade asked.

"No… I think it was more of a warning…" Jiraiya replied, his mind still unable to wrap itself against the idea that the boy had a freaking dragon inside of him. Wasn't he just the host for the Kyuubi?

As he looked on, the Toad Sannin realized that there was something more to this boy than what meets the eye. Was there another ceremony that took place that he didn't know about? One that sealed a dragon inside of him?

But first things first, how did they manage to find a dragon? They were creatures of legend, mythological creatures that should have died out long ago! Just what the hell was in this boy?

"A warning? Are you kidding me? What kind of warning does a dragon give? An end of the world warning?"

Noting the sarcasm in Tsunade's voice, Jiraiya scoffed, "Dragon's were known to be very protective of their kin. If they sense that one of their kin has been hurt, there is nothing that anyone can do to stop them from having their revenge."

Tsunade sighed as she walked over to Naruto, checking him for a pulse. "Let's get him to a private room in the hospital. I want to see for myself that the seal you put on him wouldn't cause any more stupid things to appear."

"But but, you told me to do it!" Jiraiya argued. "It's not my fault at all!" He walked over to Naruto and picked him up easily with one hand. "I'm getting way too old for this…" The Sannin grumbled.

- - -

_Inside Naruto's mindscape_

So he was back here once again… standing in the same field of ice…

Naruto looked around and sighed. "This sucks…" He muttered. The only time when he was actually here was when he was sleeping, dreaming about this field but since he wasn't sleeping, it must have meant that he passed out from pain.

He sighed once more. He hated coming here, hated dreaming of the same dream. It was always the same thing. No matter how much he tried to change, everything always remained the same. The conversation, the scenery, hell, even the stupid pebbles on the ground were in the same place.

He once tried dreaming of fire, thinking it would melt the ice but sadly, fire never appeared.

He resigned to his fate years ago, when everything remained the same.

"Any moment now… The dragon will appear, asking me if I can hear its name…"

"**So we finally meet boy…"**

"And there he is…" Naruto said, not feeling surprised. He turned around and faced the mighty beast. "Are you going to tell me your name today?" He asked.

The answer Naruto was expecting was somewhat along the lines of… '**Search for me…**' But to his surprise, the beast remained silent, opting to move closer to him.

It stared at him for a few moments, circling around his entire body. **"You are still afraid to me."**

"Huh?" Naruto replied, shocked at the new development. The beast was speaking out of line here. "… What the hell?"

The dragon said nothing, just continued circling the boy. **"You think this is just another dream…"**

"Am I not wrong to think that?" Naruto replied. "I've been dreaming the same dream for fifteen years…"

The dragon suddenly soared into the sky, spreading its majestic wings. **"The dream is finally over young one."**

"… I see…" Naruto answered, closing his eyes. "Then won't you tell me your name…"

"**I can tell you my name all you want but it is useless when you can't hear it."**

Naruto sighed, "Fifteen years dragon. It has been fifteen years, having the same dream day in and day out. It's always the same conversation. How can I hear your name if you're unable to help me?"

The blond scratched his head in frustration but never once forgetting his manners. The dragon lingered its gaze on his young charge before flying back down to the ground. **"From this point on young one, I will not be a dream nor a memory but instead, a reality."** The beast cryptically answered.

"What has changed… that allowed you to be able to converse with me like this…"

"**You… You changed young one. You have taken the first step from being a young hatchling to a dragon…"**

"Huh?"

"**Did you think those memories that you experienced today were just a coincidence?"**

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I taught myself that there is no such thing as coincidences, only the will of making things happen yourself."

"**Yes… you're learning but knowledge takes time. It's not something that you can rush. For today, your acceptance of those memories was the first step. You buried those memories deep into your brain young one, banishing it from ever resurfacing."** The dragon explained. **"You claim that you're unafraid, ready to accept my power but your body knows you better than your mind does!"** The beast roared, flapping its wings.

Naruto remained silent, knowing that it was true. He did banish those memories to the deepest corners of his mind, afraid that they would come back to haunt him.

"**But your actions today speak louder than words. Even though I tried to force your mind into accepting reality, it always rejected my influence."**

"So that means…"

"**That's right. You did it all by yourself."** The dragon released a small roar, flapping his wings around. **"Do you want to hear my name?"**

Naruto nodded his head, "Of course I do. What must I do in order to hear your name?"

"**That is not up to me to decide."**

"What do you mean by that? I don't understand the requirements that you set forth for me." Naruto said, not getting the messages that the dragon was sending.

"**If you want to know, then go forth and find the fields of ice…"**

"That's it? Find the fields of ice? Where do I even begin searching for this?"

"**Do not falter and do not fear. You are now walking the path of a Dragon. Learn to rely on your own power and soar into the skies. Break those mortal constraints that you set on yourself and then soar high into the skies, further than any dragon has soared before."**

Naruto waited for the dragon to continue but he then noticed that it wasn't going to respond. The blond knew what it meant. The beast was done talking and it was up to him to decipher the riddle.

He sighed. "Fine I'll search for the fields of ice…"

The dragon released a mighty roar, soaring into the sky before disappearing into the clouds. Naruto kept his gaze up, watching it disappear. He couldn't help but smile, knowing that the dream was finally ending…

- - -

_Outside the mindscape_

Naruto uttered a few quiet groans, getting his subconscious out of his dreamlike state. He expected himself to wake up on the cold hard ground but instead, he felt warmth.

The blond opened his eyes, his cerulean blue orbs breathing in the sights of this room. Naruto tried sitting up but he failed when something pulled him back down. He tiled his head sideways, eyeing the chains wrapped around his wrist. He tugged on it a few times, testing the firmness of the metal. He couldn't pull his arms up far, which meant he couldn't summon enough strength to break free.

"What the fuck?" Naruto cursed. "Just what is going on here? Where am I?"

The door suddenly opened and the two Sannins walked in; Tsunade holding a clipboard while Jiraiya had a stoic expression on his face.

Naruto stared at his two guests, recognizing them as the people who came and freed him. "How long was I out for?" He asked.

"Three hours." Tsunade replied. "Now I have a few questions that I want to –"

"Untie me." Naruto said, interrupting the Hokage. "Untie me now!" He demanded, struggling against his bindings.

Jiraiya glared at the blond. "Listen here brat. You still have to pay for your crimes so don't think you're walking away from this."

Naruto didn't respond, only started to struggle against the chains. "Let me go!" He demanded. "I will not be held captive here against my own will!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that Naruto. I thank you for helping us during our time of need but unfortunately, you're still going to be punished for the crimes you committed against Konoha fifteen years ago." Tsunade replied, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be fair to every other criminal out there that you get a pardon for your crimes while they didn't."

"I like to see you stop me." Naruto coldly answered. "I'm telling you now; I'm not going back there."

"Did I say you had a choice?" Tsunade replied, scoffing at his attempt of negotiating. She snapped her fingers once and five ANBUS appeared, surrounding the room. "You only have one option here Naruto. Come back willingly or I'll break every bone in your body and drag your half dead carcass back to the cell."

"Ah ha ha…" Naruto chuckled, "You think you can make me go back in there? You can make even the wildest of beasts succumb to your wills, you can even make humans submit to your wishes but you can never… make dragons… do… what… you… want…"

Tsunade's eyes quickly widened. She realized what she just heard. He wasn't trying to form another speech; he was trying to buy time for something! Before she could do anything about it, a blue aura surrounded the man. It was so light intensive that she had to shield herself from the glare.

"GRAB HIM!" She yelled but no one made any attempt. Not even Jiraiya. She looked past Naruto and saw the ANBU that was standing next to him. She saw his hands, hanging in mid-air, almost non-responsive. It was almost like if he was frozen…

She then looked around, noticing that everyone in the room but her was frozen in their place. Did he have the ability to stop time? This was never mentioned in his file…

"What did you do to my men?" Tsunade growled, gripping them into a fist. "If you harm them, I swear that I will kill you."

With ease, Naruto yanked off his shackles, the chain falling apart easily. He reached for his weapon, lying next to the ANBU. "I really don't intend on leaving like this. This was the only way I can get you to listen to me without resorting to violence. You spoke to me earlier about granting me one wish in exchange for my services. I couldn't tell you what I wanted then but I now know what I want."

"I want to leave the village, to complete my goal."

"You must be kidding right?" The Hokage scoffed. "Once you run away, you're never going to return. I know your kind. Once you taste freedom, you'll never want to return to the life of solitude!"

The blond merely narrowed his eyes but it was the next words that came out of his mouth sent chills down her spine. It felt like she was staring into the eyes of a cold beast.

"Then for your sake, you better pray that I'm not like the rest…"

Naruto walked past the ANBU, still frozen in place. His hand reached for the window and pulled it open. Before he could step out, Tsunade walked over, grabbing him by the arm. "Where the fuck do you think you'll go? By morning of tomorrow, every village will be on the lookout for you. I'll put a bounty so high on your head that you won't be able to take one step in any direction without being hunted."

"Then let those people come." Naruto replied as he yanked his arm free from Tsunade's grip. "I just hope that your soul is strong to accept the consequences of their deaths. I can't let anyone stop me now. For the first time in my life, I have a direction, a goal that is propelling me forward. Surely you can understand what I'm saying."

"No…" Tsunade lied. She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that she was just like him, on a path. The only difference was that her path was for forgiveness. She had sinned in the past; condemning the people she loved to death.

Nawaki… Her younger brother… he had died because of her. It was after his death that she became distraught, unable to grasp the meaning of reality but she strived on, being the best medic Konoha could produce, so that she could honor his memory.

It wasn't until she met Dan… her first love… that she began believing again. It was him that pushed her, showed her the path that she had long forsaken. He was her light and when he died on a mission, it pushed her over the ledge. The light that she had was stolen from under her nose and she became lost in her life once more. She spent the next several years wandering from town to town, with no destination and just gambling her life away.

Just as fate played a hand in her departure from Konoha, it also played a hand in her return to Konoha. She told herself she was only here because of her sensei's last request but over time, she grew to love this village and she finally understood what Dan and Nawaki meant by becoming Hokage.

Being back in this village has renewed her goals, setting her straight once more. Just watching this man say that he finally had a goal in life triggered something deep for her.

"Fine!" Tsunade finally said, noticing the determined look in his cold cerulean orbs. It was the same look that Dan and Nawaki had, when they told her their dreams. Maybe just this once… she could trust this man...

"Go but I'm holding you to your word Naruto."

The blond smiled and bowed his head, "Do not worry Tsunade. You are a Hokage, a leader of this village and you have my word that I will return."

Tsunade remained silent, unable to say anything else. They both welcomed the silence until a cold breeze blew into the room, causing her to shiver. Naruto took that as a cue to leave.

"Where are you going then?"

Naruto hopped on top of the window plank with his back turned to her. "To find a field of ice…"

The Hokage held her breath as she watched the man leap out of the window, landing on the ground safely. She watched as he walked in the moonlight, leaving the village peacefully. God, she hoped she wasn't making a mistake here, letting him walk away like that.

"Tsunade-sama!" The several people in the room finally yelled out her name.

She turned around, noticing that everyone was unfrozen again. _'I wonder how he pulled this off…'_ She pondered to herself. _'It would be a great trick to use when I'm in meetings…'_

"What the hell happened to us?" Jiraiya asked, shivering on the spot. "I just felt like I was frozen in ice."

Tsunade merely shook her head, a small smile on her face. "You don't know the half of it Jiraiya. How about I tell you what happened over several bottles of sake?"

The Toad Sannin looked confused but nevertheless, he accepted her generous offer. It was free sake of course. "Shall we do it at my place or yours?" He lecherously asked.

"You wish my place you damn pervert. We'll relax in my office." Tsunade answered, walking out of the room with Jiraiya in tow.

- - -

_On the outskirts of Konoha_

"So that's what a full moon looks like…"

After taking his leave from Konoha, Naruto stood in the middle of a forest, staring directly at the bright moon. "I wonder where I can find these fields of ice…"

"Would it be in the north? Or the south?" He pondered for a few moments, completely lost. "Does something like that even exist?"

"Gah! This is hopeless!" The blond muttered, sitting down on the ground. "I should have borrowed a map before I left. That would have been the sensible thing to do."

"_**Then why don't you just ask for help…"**_ The dragon's voice answered, startling Naruto. He fell backwards, quickly looking around for the beast.

"Huh? What? How are you talking to me? Oh god, did I fall asleep again?"

"_**No you didn't Naruto. As I told you earlier, I am no longer a dream. I am a reality…"**_

As if that made complete sense, Naruto nodded his head. "I see… Then to be honest Dragon… I'm completely lost. I don't know which direction I'm supposed to be traveling in."

"_**The path that you seek lies in the north, past the great mountains, across the sea."**_

"And then what? Is there a name to this place?" Naruto asked. "Hello?"

When he heard nothing from the dragon, he continued his journey, heading north. What lies for him in the north, Naruto didn't have the faintest idea but he only knew one thing…

The answer that he sought was out there…

- - -

_Elsewhere…_

"Come on Renji!" A petite woman, roughly half the size of the man she was calling, pointed towards something. "We can't spend all day searching this area. Matsumoto is waiting for us over there."

The man, Renji, only grumbled, complaining about the snow and how it stuck to his clothes. "Why are we here in the first place? Reports said that there was a slight chance the Reiatsu here might have belonged to him… A small chance…"

"What did you say?" She whipped her head around. The tone of her voice suggested that she was angry but Renji ignored it and continued.

"I mean come on; everyone else has accepted the fact and moved on. Maybe… I don't know… We should too…"

The petite woman angrily marched over to her partner, grabbing his Shihakushou and pulled him down to her level. Renji quivered as he saw the fire burning in her eyes. "You listen to me and you better listen good Renji. There is a woman sitting in that cabin with a broken spirit. She has been searching for him for the last three years… spending all her free time searching for him. I don't give a damn if we search this fucking place a million times! We will do it until she says its time to go!"

"… Y-yes… Rukia…" Renji gulped. "I-I'll… continue… searching…"

Satisfied with this response, Rukia released his Shihakushou and looked around, "Now where's Ichigo? He's supposed to be here searching with us."

Renji snorted as he rolled his eyes, "That guy… he said he hated the cold so he's searching another district, someplace warmer."

"I see… Then let's continue searching this place and get back home. They'll notice that we left without permission again."

"Hai."

The duo continued walking, their bodies marching a similar tune but their eyes were searching for something else. Clutching their brown cloaks close, they walked through the snowy region, stopping once they reach a large cabin…

* * *

Author's Note: Woah, long chapter. Okay, I have now stepped into the realm of Bleach and there's no turning back. The portal just closed and I'm in pitch black, surrounded by caves and there's no light at the end of this tunnel!

Hope you enjoyed it! Now leave me a review!


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